It’s the birthday of Roman poet Horace, born in Apulia, Italy (65 B.C.E.). He is most famous for his Odes, which take up a diverse set of topics, including springtime, Virgil, a friend’s farm, Cleopatra’s defeat, old age, and the Roman Empire.
Various of Horace’s Odes have been translated by Ben Jonson, John Milton, Alexander Pope, William Wordsworth, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Robert Lowell, and even John Quincy Adams.
One of the most famous phrases popularized by Horace is carpe diem, sometimes translated as “seize the day.” Carpe diem comes from Horace’s Ode I-XI, the 11 ode in his first book.
Heather McHugh translated one ode:
“Get wise. Get wine, and one good filter for it.
Cut that high hope down to size, and pour it
into something fit for men. Think less
of more tomorrows, more of this
one second, endlessly unique: it’s
jealous, even as we speak, and it’s
about to split again …”
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2022
“Let us remember one thing: with Jesus, there is always the possibility of beginning again. It’s never too late. There is always the possibility to begin again. Be courageous. He is near to us, and this is the time of conversion. Everyone might think: “I have this situation inside, this problem that I am ashamed of”. But Jesus is next to you. Begin again. There is always the possibility of taking a step forward. He is waiting for us and never gets tired of us. He never gets tired! And we are annoying, but he never gets tired! And let us not let this Advent go by like days on the calendar because this is a moment of grace, a grace for us too, here, and now! May Mary, the humble servant of the Lord, help us to meet Him, Jesus, and our brothers and sisters on the way of humility, which is the only one that will help us go ahead.”
Pope Francis
The Vibrant Channeled Creator 